Roundabouts?

My understanding is that it used to be the case in Italy that traffic on a roundabout always had to give way to traffic entering it.However, the law now is that traffic on the roundabout has right of way and traffic entering it must yield.In other words, the rule was changed from something akin to the absurd system that used to be in place in France where traffic on a high-speed inter-city route had to yield to a tractor coming on to the road at a junction with a farm track on the right, to something more in line with the law in Britain.The complicating factors are that, first, a lot of Italians still on the road learned to drive when the law was different and so some still seem to believe that they should be allowed to enter a roundabout without pause. Second, some roundabouts have road markings which mean traffic on the roundabout must yield to that entering. Third, road markings in Italy often wear thin to the point of invisibility before they're repainted. And fourth, some Italians don't pay much attention to road markings, signs or other cars on the road.Al

All true - nowadays the law states that those on the roundabout take precedence - so if someone crashes into you, its their fault. Anyone who passed their test before 2000 will not know this. And you're in Campania where there are no traffic laws!

Allan Mason said: "the law now is that traffic on the roundabout has right of way and traffic entering it must yield."That's true!

New Roundabout. We have a new roundabout in Comunanza (sorry A & R) and it has totally confused all the old locals. Half of them give way to trafic coming onto the roundabout and the other half don't. The other day we even saw someone stop on the roundabout to answer their mobile phone. Many of the older folk are probably not even aware of the law changing several years ago as there are not many roundabouts round our way!

I guess there must be a rule of the road as in Uk but the other way around if you know what I mean but local experience teaches me to be VERY careful of what the other driver will do at a roundabout as some of the things I have seen would make your hair stand on end!, oh and NOBODY signals at a roundabout.

Thanks to everyone for the info. No wonder everybody just goes then considering some are using the old rules and some are using the new rules and the rest are doing like they have always done (using their own rules).Good job there are not too many roundabouts around the area that we are in. The one at Naples airport is always a bit of a challenge (but it is Naples after all), but after that there is only one more all the way to Santa Marina.We shall continue to the same as in England, but with eyes in the back of our heads and hoping for the best.ThanksJohn & Toni

My husband's theory is that Italian drivers have an 'are you man or mouse?' attitude not only at roundabouts but at a lot of junctions, they drive right up and with nose out onto main road ... he was happy to be mouselike on quite a few occasions!

we have lots of new roundabouts in the Colli, all with lovely garden or fountain displays but what a casino when there is traffic. We drive by the UK rule of he who is on the roundabout has right of way and there were lines to indicate this but they have already faded and are unclear. It doesn't help that near Ciampino there are two large roundabouts - one where you have right of way on the roundabout and one clearly marked to show you give way to the right on the roundabout. I adopt the approach go forward with confidence that you are right but be ready to brake and give way if someone seems more confident than you.